Fairy tales are an integral aspect of our shared culture, and the mere mention of fairy tales and folklore can conger tales from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. The brother’s collection of folklore was originally published in 1812 and today, these tales are still relevant and often reimagined. Pick up one of the modern retellings listed below and get lost in fantasy, magic and intrigue.

 

What the Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire. Author of Wicked, Maguire puts his creative spin on tooth fairy (Skibbereen) folklore. What-the-Dickens is a young, orphaned creature who, with a penchant for teeth, desires to join the Agents of Change – trading teeth for coins.

 

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente is an original story with many fairytale elements. September is 12 years old and invited by the Green Wind to leave her home in Omaha and help fairyland. The new Marquess is young, fickle and demanding; September needs to retrieve a talisman from the enchanted woods to pacify the Marquess. September finds new friends along the way. The series has five primary works and three short stories.

 

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz is the first book of the trilogy. “Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales,” states the book blurb. Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their own happily ever after.

 

Cinder is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It is a classic Cinderella story, but set in the future where space travel is common, and Cinder is a cyborg. Cinder finds herself “caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. She must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future,” states the back blurb of the book.

 

The Fairy-Tale Detectives, book one of The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley introduces the reader to Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the girls reconnect with their grandmother who reveals they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, and their famous book of folklore is a collection of magical mischief case files. The sisters take up the family torch and start to investigate.

 

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley. Beauty doesn’t feel beautiful, but she has confidence in her intelligence. Braver than her sisters, Beauty selflessly trades her life – in an enchanted castle with a Beast – so her father can live.

 

Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell is a twist on Peter Pan. Neverland is the realm of monsters and disappearing memories. Will Gwen be able to find her way home as she faces the truths that she has long been hiding from?

 

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Sisters Scarlett and Rosie hunt the werewolves that prey on young girls. Neither is unscathed and their wounds bind the sisters, but a handsome woodsman could break the sisterly bond.

 

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine retells The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Set in 1920s Manhattan, the sisters are flappers dancing in speakeasies as an act of rebellion against their controlling father. A raid threatens to bring their house of cards tumbling down around them.

 

A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas is “an after-the-end retelling of Sleeping Beauty,” states Goodreads. After the famous kiss, Aurora wakes to a broken kingdom, a “true love” stranger, and a lot of political intrigue. She worries the curse has left an evil mark on her. Will she marry the prince or run?

 

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine is a version of Snow White. The fugitive crown princess Lorelai must destroy the evil queen with the one thing they both have – magic. But the queen will not go down without a fight. And she is fighting with a dragon huntsman – King Kol – who was a young king of the neighboring kingdom. Despite his mission to give her heart to the evil queen, Lorelai likes King Kol, much more than is good for her.

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos